Rolling mill with shifting cams for shaping bars

ABSTRACT

A roll carriage provided with a vertically movable roll is normally located at one end of a rolling mill housing but is movable back and forth through a passage in the housing. An anvil for supporting a heated bar is movable back and forth through the same passage beneath the roll. Mounted in the housing above the roll is a first cam bar that has a lower surface of a predetermined shape. Beside this cam a similar cam bar is mounted. When a portion of the anvil has moved forward beneath the roll, the carriage also is moved forward until the roll engages both the overlying first cam and the central portion of a heated bar on the anvil, whereupon the roll shapes the trailing end of the bar. Then the cam bars are moved sideways to position the second cam above the roll so that when the carriage and anvil are returned through the housing passage the roll will shape the previously unrolled end of the heated bar.

United States Patent [191 Miller I July 23, 1974 ROLLING MILL WITHSI-IIFTING CAMS FOR SHAPING BARS [75] Inventor: John S. Miller, Poland,Ohio [73] Assignee: Richard P. Krause, New Castle, Pa.

[22] Filed: June 4, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 366,423

Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr Attorney, Agent, or FirmBrown, Murray,Flick &

Peckham [5 7 ABSTRACT A roll carriage provided with a vertically movableroll is normally located at one end of a rolling mill housing but ismovable back and forth through a passage in the housing. An anvil forsupporting a heated bar is movable back and forth through the samepassage beneath the roll. Mounted in the housing above the roll is afirst cam bar that has a lower surface of a predetermined shape. Besidethis cam a similar cam bar is mounted. When a portion of the anvil hasmoved forward beneath the roll, the carriage also is moved forward untilthe roll engages both the overlying first cam and the central portion ofa heated bar on the anvil, whereupon the roll shapes the trailing end ofthe bar. Then the cam bars are moved sideways to position the second camabove the roll so that when the carriage and anvil are returned throughthe housing passage the roll will shape the previously unrolled end ofthe heated bar.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ROLLING MILL WITH SHIFTING CAMS FOR SHAPINGBARS In Kruase US. Pat. No. 3,496,749 a rolling mill is shown in whichmetal bars can be shaped, such as being tapered in thickness towardtheir opposite ends to provide leaf springs. The mill includes carriagesat its opposite ends that can be moved towardthe center of the millalternately. Each'carriage carries a pair of rolls for shaping thetrailing end of a bar as it is carried through the mill on an anvil. Themill shown in that patent operates satisfactory, but it necessarilyrequires a considerable amount of floor space because the mill housingmust be long enough to receive the two carriages.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a bar shaping millfor shaping both ends of bars, which is much shorter than the onedisclosed in the abovementioned patent, which requires only a singleroll carriage and which is less expensive to construct and maintain thanheretofore.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, with the top of the mill housing broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side view, with the roll carriage and the bar carriage shownin vertical section; and

FIG 3 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the mill housing, showingthe bar carriage and half of the carriage in vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, a rolling mill housing 1 is provided with alargepassage extending through it from end to end between its fourcorner columns 2. The housing is very short, being only about one-thirdthe length of the mill housing shown in the abovementioned Krausepatent. Extending through the lower part of the housing is a pair oflaterally spaced I-beams 3 that project from its opposite ends. Betweenthese beams there is a frame 4 that is mounted on the bottom of thehousing passage. A vertically adjustable bed bar 5 is mounted in the topof the frame andprojects above it. I

Disposed in the housing passage and normally projecting from its loadingand unloading end is a roll carriage 7 that contains a pair ofvertically spaced rolls 8 and 9. The lower roll 9 is supported .by thebed bar 5 with its necks journalled in bearings 10 (FIG. 3)

1 mounted for vertical movement in recesses in the lower part of thecarriage. The upper roll is mounted in the same way in the upper part ofthe carriage and is spaced a considerable distance from the top of thehousing passage. Thus, the necks of the upper roll are journalled inbearings 12 vertically movable in carriage recesses at opposite sides ofthe roll. Bars 13, secured to the tops of these bearings, rest on thetops of coils springs 14 that thereby supportthebearings and normallypress the bars up against brackets 15 attached to the carriage. Thebracketslimit the distance the roll can be moved upwardly. The upperroll 8 is intended to engage and roll along the lower face of a cam bar16 mounted above it in the mill housing. The cam bar is shaped to givethe desired contour to a heated bar that is to be rolled in the mill. Ifthe heated bar is to be tapered'in thickness toward its opposite ends,the lower surface of the cam bar will be inclined as shown in FIG.

Carriage 7, which is movable lengthwise of the mill housing, issupported and guided by a pair of wheels 20 at each side that travel onhorizontal tracks 21 extending through the carriage and outwardly awayfrom the opposite ends of the mill housing. These tracks are supportedby short posts 22 mounted on the underlying I- beams 3 and are locatedabout midway between the top and bottom of the carriage.

' Running along the inside of the tracks are two pairs of wheels 24 thatsupport an anvil carriage 25. Means, such as a hydraulic cylinder 26 andpiston rod 27, are provided for moving this carriage along the tracksand between the rolls of the roll carriage. The rod end of the cylinderis secured to a cross beam 28 mounted on the outer ends of a pair of boxbeams 29, the inner ends of which are secured to the two columns of themill housing at its loading end. The anvil carriage supports an anvil 30extending lengthwise thereof along its center. A heated bar that is tobe rolled can be held on this anvil by any suitable means.

OPERATION In the operation of this mill a heated bar is placed on theanvil while the two carriages are in the positions shown. The anvilcarriage 25 then is moved forward by piston rod 27 and between rolls 8and 9, which at that time are fully separated so that they exert nopressure "on the anvil carriage and its heated bar. As soon as thecentral portion of the bar has passed the stationary rolls, the rollcarriage is moved forward with the anvil carriage by means of a pistonrod 32 secured to the carriage and extending out of a fluid pressurecylinder 33 supported on a cross bar 34 between l-beams 3 at one end ofthe-mill housing. The two carriages then ad- .vance together until cambar 16 moves upper roll 8 down far enough to frictionally engage theheated bar on anvil 30, with lower roll 9 supporting the anvil carriage.As soon as this happens, the rolls will slow down the forward advance ofthe roll carriage to about half the speed of the anvil carriage as thedownwardly moving upper roll tapers the heated bar toward its rear ortrailing end.

It is a feature of this invention that on the return trip of thecarriages through the mill housing the previously unrolled end of thebar on the anvil likewise is tapered in the same way by the same rolls.To accomplish this, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a second cam bar 36disposed in inactive position beside cam bar 16 is moved laterally intooperating position over upper roll 8 as the first cam bar is movedlaterally away from the roll. This shifting of the cams is done betweenthe completion of the first rolling operation and the beginning of thesecondqThe two cam bars are mounted in a frame 37 suspended in the millhousing and movable sideways in it. This frame has flanges 38 projectingfrom the opposite ends of its top and slidably supported by rails 39secured to the top of the mill housing passage. The frame is providedwith a large downwardly opening recess extending from end to end, theupper wall of which is provided with a pair of parallel dove tail slotsextending lengthwise of it. Matching tongues on the top of two adjustingbars 41 and 42 are supported in these slots. The adjusting bars projectfrom one end of the frame and are provided with adjusting screws 43engaging the frame so that the bars can be adjusted lengthwise of theframe. The bottom of each of these bars is inclined lengthwise and isprovided with a dove tail slot that supports a tongue on top of one ofthe underlying cam bars. The tops of the cam bars are inclined to fitthe adplate 44 secured to 'one end of frame 37 prevents movement of thecams in that direction.

The cam frame 37 can be moved laterally along rails 39 by a hydrauliccylinder 46 supported by the mill housing and containing a piston 47connected to the frame. In one position of the frame, one of the cambars is above the upper roll 8 as shown in the drawings and in the otherposition of the frame the other cam bar is above that roll.Consequently, one end of the heated bar is tapered as the two carriagestravel forward through the mill housing, and then the other end of thesame bar is tapered as the carriages are moved back through the housing,thecams having been shifted sideways in the meantime. After both ends ofthe bar have been tapered, the cams are moved back to their firstposition ready to taper a new bar placed on the anvil.

In addition to requiring a much shorter and therefore cheaper millhousing than heretofore, this invention reduces the time required forrolling each bar because it has to travel such a much shorter distance.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple of my invention and have illustrated and described what I nowconsider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have itunderstood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated anddescribed.

I claim:

1. A rolling mill for shaping bars, comprising a stationary housingprovided with a horizontal passage therethrough, a roll carriagenormally located at one end of the housing but movable throughsaidpassage toward the opposite end, a horizontal roll, means connecting theroll with the carriage for up and down movement therein, an anvil atsaid one end of the housing adapted to support a heated bar, means formoving the anvil forward into and through said passage beneath said rolland then back through the passage, means for supporting the anvil whilebeneath the roll, a first cam bar mounted in the housing above the rolland'having a lower surface with a predetermined shape, a second cam barmounted in the housing beside said first cam bar parallel thereto andlikewise having a lower surface with a predetermined shape, meansoperative when a portion of the anvil has moved forward beneath the rollfor moving the carriage forward until the roll frictionally engages boththe overlying first cam bar and the central portion of a heated bar onsaid anvil, whereupon said frictional engagement will cause the roll toadvance at about half the speed of the anvil and shape the trailing endof the heated bar, and means for then moving the cam bars laterally toposition the second cam bar above said roll before the anvil andcarriage are returned through said passage, whereupon the returninganvil and carriage will cause the second cam bar and roll to shape thepreviously unrolled end of the heated bar.

2. A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which said anvil and carriagemoving means include fluid pressure cylinders and pistons.

3. A rolling mill according to claim 1, including means for adjustingsaid cam bars vertically.

4. A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which the lower surfaces ofsaid cam bars are substantially identical but are reversed relative toeach other. 5. A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which the lowersurface of one cam bar is. shaped to taper a heated bar from itscentral'portion toward one end, and the lower surface of the other cambar is shaped to taper the same heated bar from its central portiontoward its opposite end. v

6. A rolling mill according to claim 1, including springs urging saidroll upwardly in said carriage, and means limiting the upward movementof the roll.

7. A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which said anvil-supportingmeans are a second roll journaled in the lower part of said carriage,and a track extending through the housing passage and supported by thehousing with said second roll running on the track.

8. A rolling mill according to claim 1, including a frame supportingsaid cam bars, and means connecting the frame to said housing formovement transversely of said passage, said cam-moving means beingconnected to said housing and frame.

9. A rolling mill according to claim 1, including a frame supportingsaid cam bars, and means connecting the frame to said housing formovement transversely of said passage, said cam-moving means beingconnected to said housing and frame, the lower surface of one of saidcam bars being inclined in one direction to taper a heated bar from itscentral portion toward one end, and the lower surface of the other cambar being inclined in the opposite direction to taper the same heatedbar from its central portion toward its opposite end.

1. A rolling mill for shaping bars, comprising a stationary housingprovided with a horizontal passage therethrough, a roll carriagenormally located at one end of the housing but movable through saidpassage toward the opposite end, a horizontal roll, means connecting theroll with the carriage for up and down movement therein, an anvil atsaid one end of the housing adapted to support a heated bar, means formoving the anvil forward into and through said passage beneath said rolland then back through the passage, means for supporting the anvil whilebeneath the roll, a first cam bar mounted in the housing above the rolland having a lower surface with a predetermined shape, a second cam barmounted in the housing beside said first cam bar parallel thereto andlikewise having a lower surface with a predetermined shape, meansoperative when a portion of the anvil has moved forward beneath the rollfor moving the carriage forward until the roll frictionally engages boththe overlying first cam bar and the central portion of a heated bar onsaid anvil, whereupon said frictional engagement will cause the roll toadvance at about half the speed of the anvil and shape the trailing endof the heated bar, and means for then moving the cam bars laterally toposition the second cam bar above said roll before the anvil andcarriage are returned through said passage, whereupon the returninganvil and carriage will cause the second cam bar and roll to shape thepreviously unrolled end of the heated bar.
 2. A rolling mill accordingto claim 1, in which said anvil and carriage moving means include fluidpressure cylinders and pistons.
 3. A rolling mill according to claim 1,including means for adjusting said cam bars vertically.
 4. A rollingmill according to claim 1, in which the lower surfaces of said cam barsare substantially identical but are reversed relative to each other. 5.A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which the lower surface of onecam bar is shaped to taper a heated bar from its central portion towardone end, and the lower surface of the other cam bar is shaped to taperthe same heated bar from its central portion toward its opposite end. 6.A rolling mill according to claim 1, including springs urging said rollupwArdly in said carriage, and means limiting the upward movement of theroll.
 7. A rolling mill according to claim 1, in which saidanvil-supporting means are a second roll journaled in the lower part ofsaid carriage, and a track extending through the housing passage andsupported by the housing with said second roll running on the track. 8.A rolling mill according to claim 1, including a frame supporting saidcam bars, and means connecting the frame to said housing for movementtransversely of said passage, said cam-moving means being connected tosaid housing and frame.
 9. A rolling mill according to claim 1,including a frame supporting said cam bars, and means connecting theframe to said housing for movement transversely of said passage, saidcam-moving means being connected to said housing and frame, the lowersurface of one of said cam bars being inclined in one direction to tapera heated bar from its central portion toward one end, and the lowersurface of the other cam bar being inclined in the opposite direction totaper the same heated bar from its central portion toward its oppositeend.